Passing by my local Target freezer the other day, my eyes did a double-take at the sight of a cherry-red carton in the Blue Bell section. Turns out that in the midst of their holiday offerings, Blue Bell has added "Chocolate Covered Cherries" as a December rotational flavor. Reading the carton label revealed that this is a smooth, creamy cherry ice cream with heart-shaped chocolate covered cherry candies and a thick chocolate sundae sauce swirl. Since this sounded like a bunch of cherry cordials embedded within Blue Bell's excellent cherry-base ice cream, I pounced at the opportunity to taste it!
Opening the lid, I was greeted by a very enticing sight: A base ice cream colored deep-cherry, and interspersed by thick bands of chocolate sauce. This sauce looked like someone mixed a can of Hershey's chocolate syrup into the ice cream! Alas, I did not see any cherry cordial mix-ins, which was the real reason I was so eager to eat this tub. I was really hoping that these cordials would be generously mixed in, but not to worry! As soon as my spoon started exploring beneath the surface, I hit pay-dirt.
"Chocolate covered cherries" is a fantastic ice cream flavor, one that i compare favorably to similar offerings such as Ben & Jerry's "Cherry Garcia". The mix-ins do indeed taste like a good cherry cordial. The surrounding chocolate shell is basically the same as Blue Bell uses for their Happy Tracks peanut butter cups (in other words, a very tasty chocolate!), and the inner cherry, rather than being a hard candy, is a soft, syrupy center that bursts in your mouth when teeth penetrate the candy shell. Having these cordials burst in your mouth is a treat by itself, but having that occur in the context of the ice cream is scrumptious. The base really tastes like a true cherry ice cream as opposed to a weakly-flavored vanilla, and the chocolate syrup is a thick ribbon. Best of all, syrup and cordials are generously supplied top to bottom. If you like cherry cordial candies and a decadent cherry ice cream, this flavor is for you!
Where Steve Found It: Target
Steve's Grade: A